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Recipe for Salmon Patties

(Updated and added to Recipe Favorites, May 2010.) I don't remember my mom ever cooking fresh fish for the family, except for the very occasional time when my dad would go fishing and bring home Utah Rainbow Trout, which mom would pan-fry whole and we'd eat them with lots of lemon juice. However, I do have fond memories of my mom making salmon patties, made from canned salmon, and fried until they were crispy on the outside. I posted a recipe for these in 2005 when I first started my blog, but through the years I've been making them with less salmon, and considerably more green onions and other seasonings, and recently I experimented with using almond meal instead of bread crumbs, so I thought I'd update the recipe with my new favorite version. (Check the printer friendly recipe page if you want to see the original recipe.) These salmon patties may not compare with fresh wild salmon, but they're a frugal pantry meal that's very tasty.

I used just one teaspoon of butter melted into the olive oil when I browned each side of the patties. Even that small amount of butter adds a lot of flavor, but if you're following the South Beach Diet and are concerned about using butter, just use all olive oil.

Melt 2 tsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. butter in a non-stick frying pan, form mixture into small patties and cook the patties 6-8 minutes on the first side, until they are lightly browned and starting to get firm.

Start to heat 2 tsp. olive oil and 1 tsp. butter in large non-stick frying pan (or use all olive oil if you prefer.) Form the salmon mixture into small patties and add to hot oil as you make them. Cook patties about 6-8 minutes on first side, until they're lightly browned and starting to get firm.

Add 2 tsp. more olive oil and 1 tsp. more butter (or 1 T olive oil) to the pan, then turn patties and cook on the second side until the patties are firm and well-browned. (You can turn them again carefully if you need to.) Serve hot, with tartar sauce, cucumber dill sauce, or Tzatziki sauce.

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47 comments:

This recipe looks super yummy and relatively easy/quick - I miss my mother's salmon patties made of canned red salmon, with the bones crushed like you do for calcium. I am gluten-free so I cannot eat any wheat. Do you think this would work with almond meal (which would keep it SB- *and* Passover-friendly); if so, do you suggest regular or blanched? Thanks, Kalyn!

M, I do think it would work with almond meal. I think the almond would taste great with the salmon. My mother made those same type of salmon patties that you're describing! I'm not sure if it would matter which type of almonds you used, I think either would be fine.

Is there a different kind of canned salmon that doesn't include the bones? My mother in law showed me how to make these, but there were some nasty bone-like things we had to pull out first ... maybe she's slow on the canned salmon though.

My grandmother, who never ate meat, used to make salmon croquettes with canned salmon. I adored them, but when I make them now, I usually use leftover cooked fresh salmon. I never think to add capers, because my grandmother didn't, but I love the idea.

We ate a lot of fish growing up, mostly fresh fish that my dad and his brothers caught and sometimes all of us on a family outing. My mom would freeze some of the fish to pull out during the winter months. But after that was gone, fish cakes often made their way on to the menu. I've always loved them, but Mr. GFE not so much. I'm going to make your recipe just for me, Kalyn. These salmon cakes will make great lunches! :-)

I've become a salmon snob. Had the great pleasure of house-sitting a few summers ago for a charter fishing guy, and he had a freezer full of salmon fillets and a cupboard full of home-canned salmon. And it ruined canned salmon for me--I've tried making my favorite salmon patties with canned salmon and they tasted like nothing. :(

These look delicious. What is in a 'fish rub' as I am in the UK and don't think we have that here? I might make these and serve them inside some whole wheat pitas. I have been enjoying your blog for quite a while now. Thanks.

I use chick peas as well as coconut flour ( I am a huge fan of coconut flour )in my salmon patties. I love the idea of the capers. I am a caper fiend and am happy to add them to just about anything. Thank You ~ Annette

The capers were really good in these salmon cakes; glad people are liking that idea.

Sophie, glad you enjoyed them!

"Fish Rub" is a mixture of ground spices meant to be rubbed on fish. The brand I use lists this for ingredients: "paprika, pepper, salt, lemon juice and spices." Any ground spice mixture that you like the taste of would work, it's just to add a little more flavor to the mixture.

I grew up in the South and salmon patties were a constant in our family's weekly menu. Aside from diced onions, we also use garlic and red pepper flakes sometimes to give it an edge. To keep them gluten-free, we use cooked brown rice or wild rice blends and sometimes with an extra egg white. I serve them either with hummus or lemon-mayo dip. To this day, when I have salmon patties I'm always reminded of my childhood.

Yours looks so appetizing! I'm thrilled to try this version with almond meal.

I always enjoy reading intelligent articles by an author who is definitely knowledgeable on their chosen subject. I'll be following this thread with much interest. Keep up the great work, till next time

Made these last night...AMAZING! I wanted to eat the whole batch, but settled on just 2 :(

I used your famous Spike seasoning instead of fish rub because my grocery store just started carrying it and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about; perfect all purpose seasoning! I also skipped the capers/green onion and opted for some minced yellow onion and celery sauteed in olive oil for a few minutes instead!

I just bought a bag of almond meal last week to make the chicken nuggets you recently posted and wow, is it expensive! So I was really excited to see another recipe that I could use it in...keep those coming :) Even though I'll probably use up the rest of the bag making these delish little cakes!!

Jamie, glad you liked the salmon patties! I like hearing about your variations. Almond meal is definitely kind of pricey, but lots of recipes only use a small amount of it. I have heard of people making their own by grinding almonds, but I haven't tried it.

hiI love the look of the salmon patties and wish i could make it, I feel they will be yummy, but we do not get most of the Ingredients in India especially the salmon so problem!!!anyway thanks for sharing the recipe

My friend gave a recipe for these a few weeks ago along with a sweet potato fry recipe(toss them in italian dressing, sprinkle with parmesan, bake at 350, 1hr) (just thought I would write that down for anyone interested LOL)I had never tried them and after eating them I was addicted!!!

I was using ww bread crumbs, but I subbed in almond meal today and they were AMAZING. Almonds + salmon = Super MMMmmm. Thanks for another great idea! Your blog is my favorite foodie blog on the net =)

Kalyn--anothe winning recipe here! I made these for lunch, and even my VERY FUSSY 3-year-old, who hates all things fish except tuna inhaled them!

This recipe is a definite keeper for us :D

Thanks for sharing this, and all of your other wonderful recipes on this blog. I am officially hooked on healthy, delicious eating now--thanks to you, they are no longer mutually exclusive of each other!

I love these! My mom also made salmon patties growing up as well as my husbands mom. I am from the south and always go back to my roots serving them with white gravy and biscuits as well as small early peas and slaw. In summer I also slice up some of my home grown tomotoes. What a meal. Simply comfort food. Thanks for your rendition.

I used this method with the ingredients I had subbing canned tuna, shallots and flax meal as appropriate. The tuna cakes made a very nice brunch served on a bed of romaine with vinaigrette and some tartar sauce on the side. I look forward to making it again as written, as well as exploring variations!

I'm not a huge fan of salmon, but somehow I ended up with a can of it in my pantry (I live alone so I'm not quite sure how that happened...) and I didn't want to let it go to waste. I reluctantly decided to try this recipe and now I have to admit, I'm going to have to buy another can so I can make them again!

I live in a tiny town so almond meal isn't easy to come by, but I had slivered almonds in my freezer that I used a rolling pin to grind up and it worked perfectly. I didn't have a fish rub either (since as mentioned I'm not usually much on fish) so I substituted by adding some paprika, garlic powder, thyme, and oregano in addition to the salt and pepper.

The leftovers even made a great sandwich for lunch the next day with spinach on whole wheat bread rounds.

Okay, I can't wait to try this recipe! My Mom (RIP) made salmon patties all the time (served w/rice). This was one of my favorite dishes of her and she had many. The almond meal as an alternative sounds delightful. I'm a nut lover so this is right up my alley! Will be sure to come back & comment how it turns out. Btw, I LOVE the Costco canned salmon, it's so tasty--and best of all, no bones! As a kid, I loved crunching on the bones, but as an adult, I find removing them t-e-d-i-o-u-s! I believe the brand is called Kirkwood. Thanks again for another great recipe. I'm sure it's going to be fantastic! =D

Thanks Debbie! You might like these Asian-flavored Wild Salmon Patties that start with fresh salmon. You could adapt that one to use the seasonings in this recipe if you prefer it. I also have a new recipe coming this week with Salmon Burgers made with raw salmon (really good!) if you can wait for that one. But I would make the patties with raw salmon if you have it.

OH MY! These are SO much better than the recipe from the SB book that I've been using for years! The almond meal was a wonderful addition that really made these true salmon patties! They actually did remind me of my mom's salmon patties (except hers always had those little "bones"). I'm adding these to my rotating menu! Thanks for another great recipe!

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